One well-known American politician who had a big influence on conservative politics in the second half of the 20th century was Paul Weyrich. He co-founded groups that aimed to use moral and cultural viewpoints to influence public policy, such as the Moral Majority and the Heritage Foundation.

The use of security cameras in schools was one of his noteworthy observations. Weyrich noted that a lot of school administrators thought cameras were essential to keeping students in line and disciplined. This opinion is in line with a larger trend that views technology as a quick fix for difficult social problems, particularly those pertaining to education.

Consider the classroom to be a garden. Teachers care for the plants—students—much like gardeners do. Some people might believe that putting up fences (cameras) around the garden will guarantee that everyone abides by the rules and that all the plants grow healthily. But according to Weyrich, depending only on surveillance may not be sufficient to address more complex problems like the reasons behind some students' outbursts or the most effective ways to foster their development.

Weyrich advocated for a more nuanced strategy, contending that educators should think about underlying causes and endeavor to establish an atmosphere that supports and encourages positive behavior rather than concentrating solely on external controls like cameras. This could entail improving teacher preparation, offering better resources, or building a closer sense of community within the school.

By promoting this idea, Weyrich emphasized the value of all-encompassing approaches to solving educational problems as opposed to depending on band-aid fixes that might not work in the long run. Since conversations about discipline and surveillance are still relevant in educational settings today, his insight is still relevant.